ので Japanese Grammar Lesson
Grammar Type: Conjunction
Essential Meaning: So / Since / Because
Construction:
- (Verb / い-Adjective) informal + ので
- E.g. 話すので [Because X speaks]
- E.g. 高いので [Because X is expensive]
- (な-Adjective Stem / Noun) + [な / だった] + ので
- E.g. 静かなので [Because X is quiet]
- E.g. 先生なので [Because X is a teacher]
Notes:
- ので originated as the て-Form of のだ, but in modern Japanese it is used as a conjunction to indicate reason or cause.
- The conjunctions から and ので both basically mean “So”, “Because”, or “Since” to provide a reason or explanation. The difference between the two is that から is generally used for subjective reasons involving the speaker’s volition or opinion (e.g. speculation, suggestion, intention, request, opinion, volition, invitation, et cetera) while ので is used primarily for objective and clearly evident reasons. Furthermore, から focuses more on the reason (the first sentence), while ので focuses more on the resulting effect (i.e. the second sentence).
- ので is often used to provide a reason when one’s action may trouble others or when one is speaking apologetically (e.g. to a boss).
- E.g. 体調が悪いので、授業に行きません。[I am ill, so I unfortunately can’t go to work.]
- E.g. 電車が遅れたので、遅れます。[The train was late, so I will unfortunately be late as well.]
- E.g. カギをなくしたので、みんなが入れませんでした。[I lost the key, so everyone was regrettably unable to enter.]
- ので is generally preferable in any case when speaking formally to a boss or someone of high social status. Verbs should be in a formal form to match the formality of ので.
- E.g. 父がイギリス人なので、英語が話せます。[My father is British, so he is able to speak English.]
- E.g. 図書館が静かなので、よく勉強できます。[The library is quiet, so I can study well.]
- With から, it is acceptable to place the reason sentence after the main sentence. However, this is not acceptable with ので. This is to do with the fact that ので emphasizes the effect rather than the cause.
- E.g. パーティーに一人で行く。友達がいないから。[I will go to the party alone. It’s because I don’t have any friends.]
- E.g. 日本語が上手ですね。毎日勉強していますから。[You’re good at Japanese, aren’t you. It’s because you study every day.]
- E.g. *パーティーに一人で行く。友達がいないので。[I will go to the party alone. It’s because I don’t have any friends.] It is ungrammatical to use ので at the end of a sentence as in this example.
- For the same reason as above, ので is not used to reply to questions. から is used instead.
- E.g. A: どうして疲れていますか。B: 昨日、夜10時まで仕事をしていましたから。[A: How come you’re tired? B: Because yesterday I was working until 10 PM.]
- E.g. *A: どうして疲れていますか。B: 昨日、夜10時まで仕事をしていましたので。[A: How come you’re tired? B: Because yesterday I was working until 10 PM.]
- According to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, ので assumes that the information provided as a cause is valid and also assumes that the reasoning is evident and valid to the hearer. So ので can not be used in the following situations (から should be used instead).
- (1) When the speaker is expressing a conjecture (e.g. with conjecture words such as だろう)
- E.g. *人がたくさんくるだろうので食べ物をたくさん買っておいた。 [I feel that many people will come, so I bought a lot of food to prepare.]
- E.g. 人がたくさんくるだろうから食べ物をたくさん買っておいた。 [Because I feel that many people will come, I bought a lot of food to prepare.]
- (2) When the main clause is a command, request, suggestion, invitation, or expresses the speaker’s volition or opinion.
- E.g. Command:
- E.g. *この映画はためになるので行きなさい。[This movie is good for you, so go see it.]
- E.g. この映画はためになるから行きなさい。[Because this movie is good for you, go see it.]
- E.g. Request:
- E.g. *あしたのショーは面白いのでぜひ見にきてください。[Tomorrow’s show will be interesting, so by all means please come and see it.]
- E.g. あしたのショーは面白いからぜひ見にきてください。[Because tomorrow’s show will be interesting, by all means please come and see it.]
- E.g. Suggestion:
- E.g. *この本はとても面白いのでみんなも読んだほうがいいよ。[This book is really interesting, so everyone should read it.]
- E.g. この本はとても面白いからみんなも読んだほうがいいよ。[Because this book is really interesting, everyone should read it.]
- E.g. Invitation:
- E.g. *いい酒をもらったので一緒に飲みましょうか。[I received some good sake, so shall we drink it together?]
- E.g. いい酒をもらったから一緒に飲みましょうか。[Because I received some good sake, shall we drink it together?]
- E.g. Volition:
- E.g. *田中さんが行くのでぼくも行く。[Tanaka-san is going, so I will go too.]
- E.g. 田中さんが行くからぼくも行く。[Because Tanaka-san is going, I will go too.]
- E.g. Opinion:
- E.g. *僕がよく知っているので大丈夫です。[I know it well, so it’s OK.]
- E.g. 僕がよく知っているから大丈夫です。[Because I know it well, it’s OK.]
- E.g. Command:
- (1) When the speaker is expressing a conjecture (e.g. with conjecture words such as だろう)
- The で particle can also be used to indicate reason, but only following nouns and not to conjoin sentences as ので and から do.
- E.g. 台風で家がたくさん倒れた。[Because of the typhoon, many houses were knocked down.]
Example Sentences:
お酒をたくさん飲んだので眠くなった。[I drank a lot of sake, so I became sleepy.]
宿題がたくさんあるのでパーティーに行けません。[I have a lot of homework, so I can’t go to the party.]
その本は高かったので買わなかった。[That book was expensive, so I didn’t buy it.]
私の部屋は静かなのでよく勉強できます。[This room is quiet, so I can study well.]
ジェーンはまだ中学生なので車を運転できない。[Jen is still a junior high school student, so she can’t drive a car.]
WILD Examples:
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